Walk Worthy

Aug 12 2022 - Eric Buresh

Last weekend, on a whim, I sat down and watched parts of Saving Private Ryan – one of the few movies I’ve watched multiple times over the years. I’m not a huge fan of war movies. There are a few, however, that have characters and stories that are just so compelling. Honestly fearful warriors who just want bravely to do their duty and return to their families. Stories of immense sacrifice laid down on the altar of love for brother and country. Saving Private Ryan is one of those now old stories that resonates with me each time I watch it.

Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent on a crazy mission to locate and rescue the fourth son (Private Ryan) of a family that had just lost Ryan’s three other brothers. After surviving the beach landing on D-Day, Captain Miller’s unit gets this crazy assignment in the chaos of a massive war zone crawling with the enemy. Several members of the unit are killed as they search for Private Ryan. When they finally locate Private Ryan, it was necessary for Captain Miller’s unit to fend off a German assault on a small town with an important bridge before they could take Ryan off the battlefield. The battle was intense, most of the unit was killed. Captain Miller and the remaining warriors retreat to the bridge to make a last stand. Captain Miller is shot several times and is lying on the bridge firing the last rounds from his pistol when reinforcements dramatically arrive and push back the German forces.

The battle over, Captain Miller lies dying on the bridge and Private Ryan kneels beside him. Captain Miller takes the young man’s hand and leans in close to his ear. With his dying gasp, Captain Miller’s eyes become crystal clear and energized and he tells Ryan with all the strength he could muster, “earn this.” I can’t do this scene justice with just words (you can check out a video on your own), but I hope you can feel the weight of what Captain Miller was saying to this young man. I’ve given my life for yours. So have other men. Earn it. Honor our sacrifice with your life. The movie ends with Private Ryan morphed into an old man, standing by Captain Miller’s grave in Arlington. Ryan’s wife, children, grandchildren all are there to support him. Private Ryan turns to his wife and quietly asks her with tears in his eyes whether he had lived a good life. His burning question was had he earned it.

Have you ever had anyone die specifically to save you? I pray the answer in your heart is a resounding, YES! Jesus died to save you and me. He sacrificed His life so that we can live. Like Captain Miller, Jesus too has an inspired two-word plea for those He died to save – “Walk worthy” (Ephesians 4:1) Live your life in a manner that honor’s His sacrifice. Our lives are not really our own. They’ve been bought with a steep price in blood. (1 Cor. 6:20) We now live for a purpose far greater than we can even realize – to glorify God in our bodies. Walk Worthy! Am I living my life with an eye to honoring the one who died for me? Are you?

Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.

Excerpt from Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past
by C.T. Studd

P.S. – Ephesians 4 goes on to explain what it means to “walk worthy.” Verse 2 starts out with a real challenge to each of us – walk in all humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with our brothers and sisters in love. Unity in the body of believers is a huge part of walking worthy that we really need to live out today. If you want to walk worthy of Christ’s death, humble yourself just like He did. Chapter 4 concludes, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Amen! Let’s walk worthy together in unity for His honor and His glory!